ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PATTERNS, WILSON’S BEACH ESTATES | 1
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PATTERNS WILSON’S BEACH ESTATES
GULL LAKE, ALBERTA
WILSON’S BEACH ESTATES is a unique environment. It has a creek,
wetlands, a forest, and fields, as well as direct access to Gull Lake. It is in
harmony with nature.
The site plan and construction is adding wetlands, enhancing the creek,
creating an environmental reserve, protecting open space, and adding an
integrated and landscaped trail system. The site plan is in harmony with
its environment.
The homes and buildings of Wilson’s Beach Estates should therefore also
be in harmony with their environment, with each other, and with the
families who live in them. Not only should the houses be harmonious,
they should create a melody, and be in rhythm with each other. They
should have an organic order and relate to the sun, to the wind, to water,
and to the ground.
As our environment has been governed by nature, our buildings and
houses have traditionally been created by a timeless way of building. As
our modern and mechanized society has had an impact on the
environment, it has also had an impact of the way we design and
construct our houses. Wilson’s Beach Estates, while using modern
construction techniques and methods, will relay upon traditional design
vocabularies to capture the best proven principals and current building
practices.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE p 6
THREE FUNDAMENTAL THEMES p 7
1. COMMODITY
2. FIRMNESS
3. DELIGHT
ELEMENTS FOR THE THEMES p 7
1. MASSING
2. FAÇADE COMPOSITION
3. WINDOWS AND DOORS
4. MATERIAL, COLOURS, DETAILS
RULES FOR THE THEMES p 8
1. SYNERGY
2. SIMPLE
3. COMMON SENSE
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PATTERNS p 8
1. PERMITTED USES IN WILSON’S BEACH ESTATES p 9
A. SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING
B. ACCESSORY BUILDING
C. HOME BASED BUSINESS, MINOR
D. ZONING REGULATIONS
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2. SITE PLANNING & HOUSE SITING p 10
A. YARD SET BACKS p 10
B. EAST WEST AXIS and SOUTHERN p 10
SUN EXPOSURE
C. DRIVEWAY ACCESS and GARAGES p 10
D. POSITIVE and SOUTH OUTDOOR SPACE p 10
3. HOUSE MASSING / SHAPE p 11
A. SIMPLICITY OF MASSING p 11
B. HIERARCHY OF MASSING p 11
a. MAIN COMPONENT/BODY/VOLUME
b. WINGS
c. PORCHES
d. DOOR ENTRANCE TRANSITIONS, BAY, BOW,
and ALCOVE WINDOWS
C. PROPORTION p 13
4. EXTERIOR WALLS/ELEVATIONS/FACADES p 13
A. KEEP THE ELEVATIONS SIMPLE p 13
B. SYMMETRICAL/ASYMMETRICAL p 13
C. FOUNDATION, WALL, ROOF p 14
D. DIFFERENTIATION p 14
E. TEXTURE, SHADE, AND SHADOW p 14
F. MATERIALS p 15
a. WOOD
b. STUCCO
c. STONE
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G. COLOURS p 16
H. OPENINGS (WINDOWS and DOORS) p 16
a) WINDOWS
b) PROPORTION
c) GROUPING
d) ALIGNMENT
e) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND FLOORS
f) STACKING
g) TRIM
I. MAIN ENTRANCE p 18
a. IMMEDIATELY SEEN
b. ENTRANCE TRANSITION
c. OVERHANG
d. SIDE LIGHTS/WINDOWS
e. DOOR
5. ROOFS p 19
A. FORM p 19
B. OVERLAPPING GABLES p 19
C. PITCH p 19
D. EAVES p 19
a. Boxed
b. Exposed
E. DORMERS p 20
F. SHED DORMERS p 20
G. BAYS p 21
H. WINGS p 21
I. SHINGLES p 21
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J. SOLAR PANELS p 21
6. GARAGE p 21
A. DOORS p 22
B. DRIVEWAY p 22
7. CHIMNEYS p 22
8. LIGHTING p 22
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ARCHITECTURAL STYLE
The Wilson’s Beach Estates team has studied the many and various
architectural styles. The most appropriate style for the project’s homes is
Craftsman, or an architecturally designed contemporary interpretation of
Craftsman or Arts and Crafts. This will allow homeowners to have a
unique home that will, by following the design patterns, have similar
DNA with their neighbors in the patterns of the houses.
Examples of Craftsman style homes, or contemporary interpretations, are
shown with these patterns and on the Homes Galleries.
THREE FUNDAMENTAL THEMES:
Architecture, and the homes of Wilson’s Beach Estates, is based on three
fundamental themes: Commodity, Firmness, and Delight (Vitruvius).
1. COMMODITY, or function. The house must be designed to allow
you to lead the life you want inside the walls and in the outdoor
spaces. The rooms must function alone and together. The house
must not only allow you live comfortably, but also give you joy.
You must balance the function and the cost.
2. FIRMNESS, of structure. the house must be structurally sound and
not appear flimsy. Its construction should be practical, serviceable,
and sustainable.
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3. DELIGHT, or beauty. Design matters. While some beauty is in the
eyes of the beholder, other beauty is universal and fundamental to
every eye.
ELEMENTS FOR THE THEMES
1. MASSING: Main body of house, wings, height, width, height,
roof, eaves, proportion.
2. FAÇADE COMPOSITION: Symmetry/balance, door and window
placement, depth, shade and shadow.
3. WINDOWS AND DOORS: types, proportion, rhyme, order.
4. MATERIAL, COLOURS, DETAILS: Honest use of materials, less
is more, complementary versus clashing, practical versus
ornamental.
RULES FOR THE THEMES
1. SYNERGY: Make the house greater than the sum of the parts.
2. SIMPLE: Keep the design and construction simple and smart, not
complicated, confusing, and costly.
3. COMMON SENSE: Are design elements correct structurally? Do
they work in practice? Is the element necessary? If not, is it a
“good” decoration?
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ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PATTERNS
To create the harmony and organic order that the timeless way of building
created in homes, buildings, neighborhoods, and communities, Wilson’s
Beach Estates houses will be based on design or architectural and
construction patterns. Patterns are the fundamental elements of the
language of architecture and building. They are the “words” of the
language of design. Patterns fall under the three themes of Vitruvius.
The patterns are outlined below.
Owners, architects, designers, and contractors should become familiar not
only with those written here, but with the under lying and more fully
explained principals in the reference books listed in Appendix A.
Also, there are many references for Craftsman houses. A list of books is
listed in Appendix B. A list of books or web addresses from which
Craftsman houses can be seen and plans purchased can be viewed in
Appendix C.
The internet has, literally, over a million references, on Google, for
Craftsman houses.
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1. PERMITTED USES IN WILSON’S BEACH ESTATES:
A. SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING: Maximum size is not stated, but
cannot cover more that 30% of lot area (including accessory
buildings). Maximum height is 33 feet (10.06 metres) i.e. from
average ground level to top of roof ridge.
Minimum size: Single story, not counting garage, basement or half
story: 1,200 square feet (120.8 square metres). Two stories, not
counting garage, basement or half story: 1,800 square feet (167.2
square metres).
B. ACCESSORY BUILDING: Maximize size: 1,200 square feet
(111.48 square metres).
C. HOME BASED BUSINESS, MINOR: means a secondary use of a
principal dwelling, its accessory buildings, or combination thereof,
by at least one resident of the dwelling to conduct a business or
activity of occupation. It does not include the visiting of clients to
the site, any outside storage, or any non-resident on-site
employees. The use has no external impact on adjacent residential
dwellings
D. ZONING REGULATIONS: Complete Lacombe County Zoning
Regulations for Wilson’s Beach Estates may be seen in Appendix
Y.
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2. SITE PLANNING and HOUSE SITING
A. YARD SET BACKS: Setbacks vary from lot to lot. Setback
dimension and buildable areas are available by calling up the
individual lot information from the Site Plan.
B. EAST WEST AXIS and SOUTHERN SUN EXPOSURE: Phase
One lots have their longest direction facing south. Houses are
therefore to be aligned on an east-west axis with maximum
southern exposure. The “front” of the house will therefore not
typically face the road.
C. DRIVEWAY ACCESS and GARAGES: Driveways into the lot
from the road are typically at the south side of the lot. Garages can
be placed on the road side, north side, or none road side of the
house.
D. POSITIVE and SOUTH OUTDOOR SPACE: Every house should
have a positive and south facing outdoor space.
3. HOUSE MASSING / SHAPE:
The first step in designing a home is to determine what
rooms/functions you want in the house, the interrelationships between
the rooms, the sizes of the rooms, and where the rooms are to be
placed (see link to patterns for the design of interior of houses).
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One of biggest decisions is where the garage is going to be placed?
Next comes the shape, or massing, of the house. Is it going to be one
story or two stories? How is positive outdoor space going to be
created?
A. SIMPLICITY OF MASSING: Keep the massing simple. Add
interest by adding simple masses (wings, porches, bay window, or
alcove windows). Jogs in the walls complicate the massing. That
adds cost not only to the wall construction, but also to the roof.
When shaping the volume of the house one must also think of how
the roof is going to cover the space below. One must work back
and forth between the floor plan and the roof. It is often better to
start with the roof plan.
B. HIERARCHY OF MASSING: When houses are large enough to
have more than one massing volume a clear hierarchy of massing
should be evident. The most public functions should be in the most
prominent part of the house.
a. MAIN COMPONENT/BODY/VOLUME: The primary mass of
the house is a rectangle which gives the most space for the least
cost. Given the desire for passive solar heating the longest wall
should face south.
b. WINGS: Wings can be added to the side, sides, or back of the
house. The wings can be the same height as the main body of the
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house. If the primary mass is two stories the wings can be one or
two stories.
Side wings may align with or be set back from the front of the
house, but usually align with the back of the house. Garages are a
good use of a side wing (but garages do need to be set back). To
create symmetry in the massing of the house there is usually an
opposite wing which may contain bedrooms or living / family
rooms.
c. PORCHES: Porches are a distinguishing element of Craftsman
houses. When used they are usually at the front the house. At
Wilson’s Beach Estates they are more utilitarian on the west side
of the house to give summer shade. The columns have a
Classical tradition of a base, a column, and a cap.
d. DOOR ENTRANCE TRANSITIONS, BAY WINDOWS, BOW
WINDOWS, and ALCOVE WINDOWS: These minor elements
do not detract from the massing, but enliven the elevations.
C. PROPORTION: Simplicity of proportions is found in nature (and
music), resonates with people, and is easier and less costly to build.
Think of 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 4:3, 5:2 and of the Golden Proportion
(Mean) of 1:1.618.
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4. EXTERIOR WALLS/ELEVATIONS/FACADES
A. KEEP THE ELEVATIONS SIMPLE: Avoid too many
elements and complicated massing. Use a small number of
better built elements and simple volumes. Think of the home’s
overall composition.
B. SYMMETRICAL/ASYMMETRICAL: Symmetry, or “mirror
image,” is a natural order of nature i.e. trees, leaves, animals,
the human body and face. Symmetry is a unifying aspect of a
composition. Therefore, use symmetry as a guiding design
principle.
However, asymmetrical houses can be pleasant, but they are
more complex and need more detailed design. When using
asymmetrical design the two sides must be balanced.
Asymmetrical buildings have two levels of design. The first
level is the combination of volumes and their massing. The
second level is the elements within each volume and their
arrangement.
Do not fill asymmetrical volumes with symmetrically placed
volumes. Rather, use asymmetrical elements within
asymmetrical volumes. Each volume and its elements are part
of the elevation’s composition. The careful asymmetrical
arrangement of the elements within the volume ties the
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elevation / facade together and gives it balance. This
interconnection makes the composition hold together.
C. FOUNDATION, WALL, ROOF: Nearly every element of
architecture reflects the feet, body, and head arrangement of the
human body. Columns have a base, a shaft, and a cap.
Traditional buildings have a base, a body, and a capital (roof).
Express these elements in the design and construction of your
house.
D. DIFFERENTIATION: Some elements of building should be
differentiated from other elements that would create a duality
when a difference should be emphasized. If a stringcourse is
being used on the elevation it should not be placed equally
between the foundation and the roof. It should be placed under
the sill of the second story windows. This focuses attention on
and reinforces the first floor and enlivens the façade.
E. TEXTURE, SHADE, AND SHADOW: Think of how the
choice of material and the design and construction of details
will affect the interest and richness of the house as opposed to
being static and flat. i.e. window openings and trim.
F. MATERIALS: Use only two materials on walls, not counting a
short base or foundation wall, and trim, Wood, or wood look-
alike, is to be, typically, the prominent material on exterior
walls. Stucco is the other acceptable material. Stucco may be
considered as the dominate material if other elements of the
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design are harmonious and in keeping with these Architectural
Design Patterns.
a. WOOD: Siding and shingles count as two materials. Vertical
siding and horizontal siding are two materials. Siding of
different widths is two materials.
b. STUCCO: Stucco shall be smooth sand finished.
c. STONE: May be used as a short base or foundation wall, as a
base for columns, as structurally proportioned column wall
elements, or as chimneys that are anchored.
Stone, whether natural or veneer, shall be laid with the long
dimension of the stones horizontal and with the broad face
up, not out. Long rectangular stones, or stone look a likes, are
to be used.
G. COLOURS: The main exterior colours shall be warm earth
tones. Two wall colors may be used. These two colors shall be
harmonious with each other. For trim, one colour should be
prominent with a second colour for accents. These trim colors
may be complementary to the main wall colours, or
harmonious.
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H. OPENINGS (WINDOWS and DOORS)
a. WINDOWS: Windows are the “eyes” of a house. They
connect the home to the neighborhood and the view outside
it. Windows offer a glimpse of the inside of your home to
the passerby. Windows are a very large determinant of the
character of your house. They should reinforce the
composition of the house by unifying the design. Windows
also introduce a layer of hierarchy by identifying the first
floor and important rooms of the houses.
i. PROPORTION: Keep the windows proportioned
vertically or square. Horizontal openings should be
subdivided into vertical or square proportions or lights.
ii. GROUPING: When windows are grouped together or
paired, keep size and proportion of lights consistent to
provide continuity of scale.
iii. ALIGNMENT: Align the window heads and sills. Door
heads may be lower than the windows or their height
difference can be made up with a transom. Have at least
one of the two central openings aligned with the
windows.
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iv. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND
FLOORS: Use window sills up to 2’-6” in main rooms
on the first floor. Use window sill heads of 3’ or more
on the second level. Avoid having window header
height under the cornice or overhang.
v. STACKING: Align the centers of upper openings with
the center or edges of the openings below, or with the
center between the openings below them. Do not place
the windows to accommodate the floor plan at the
expense of the elevation. Instead, revise the floor plan.
vi. TRIM: See the many books on craftsman houses and
the gallery of photographs attached to the Wilson’s
Beach Estates website for examples of window and
door trim. Craftsman trim is typically 5” to 6” wide.
I. MAIN ENTRANCE
a. IMMEDIATELY SEEN: Place the front door at a point
where it can be seen from the main approach to the house
and give it a shape which stands out in front of the home.
b. ENTRANCE TRANSITION: Make a transition between the
street/driveway and the front door. The path that connects
driveway and door through this transition space should be
made with a change of light, sound, direction, surface, or
level. Consider gateways or trellis.
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c. OVERHANG: Protect the front door from the weather by
an overhang and offset or a partial enclosure.
d. SIDE LIGHTS/WINDOWS: Allow light into the entryway
and see visitors outside by having windows on the wall next
to the door. A secondary and less attractive alternative is
windows in the door itself.
e. DOOR: The front door is where guests and visitors enter the
house. It is a very important element on any home. Paneled
wood doors with attractive hardware should be used.
5. ROOFS:
Always think of the roof plan when laying out the floor plan and
massing of your house. It is often good to design from the roof down,
or to redesign the floor plan ounce you take the roof into
consideration. Avoid long and complex hips and multiple gables.
Avoid short ridges. Keep the roof as simple as possible.
A. FORM: Gable roofs are the most common form in Arts and Crafts
houses. Hipped roofs are occasionally used. Broad front gabled
roofs usually have dormers.
B. OVERLAPPING GABLES: Overlapping gables should only be
used when the smaller gables are part of a balcony, porch, or
entrance.
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C. PITCH: Craftsman houses are usually associated with low-pitched
roofs. However, in Alberta we need to take the snow load into
account. Therefore the shallowest pitch should be 4.5/12. With a
pitch of over 7/12 construction costs go up. However, steeper
pitches can be used.
When a dormer is set against an eave, set the dormer
pitch lower to keep it from appearing steeper than the hip of the
eave.
The pitch over a door pediment should be shallow.
D. EAVES: Deep eaves are a strong characteristic of Arts &
Crafts/Craftsman houses. Two types are usual.
a. Boxed eave with flat soffit, usually with shallow profile brackets. b. Exposed rafter tails are more common, either shaped or plain.
Tails should be proportioned according to their level from the
ground i.e. 6” at the house level eaves, and 4” at porch level eaves.
E. DORMERS: Dormers should be modest in scale and not
overpower the story below. The dormer roof must be in proportion
to the width of the dormers. The dormers should not be wider that
the window (including sash) below. Their height must allow the
windows to be in proportion to the ones below.
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Dormer ridges must be below the roof ridge. Paired windows are
too wide to fit in most dormers. Dormers may be wider than square
only when their windows are vertical and separated by casing. The
pitch of the dormer roof can be steeper than the main roof.
F. SHED DORMERS: Balance the desire to maximize space in the
upper level of the house with the appearance of the exterior. The
shed dormer must not overwhelm the roof. Set back the front of the
shed from the wall below. The pitch of the shed roof is shallower
than the main roof.
G. BAYS: Bay roofs should not be a continuation of the main roof.
They should be distinct. A shallow roof pitch must be used over
the bay and the interior ceiling will be lower than the main room.
If the bay is large a gable roof may be used over it.
H. WINGS: The roof of a wing must not overpower its building. The
corresponding pitch of the slope of a wing’s roof should only be at
the same pitch of the building if it remains secondary to the
building’s roof. If the roof of the wing is higher than the
building’s cornice the pitch of the wing’s roof must be made
shallow enough to become secondary.
I. SHINGLES: Earth toned composition (asphalt) shingles are the
preferred roof covering. Two toned shingles are acceptable if the
resulting colour is compatible with the main house colour.
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J. SOLAR PANELS: Solar panels will be allowed to cover southern
exposures of the roof.
6. GARAGE:
The garage is to be subordinate to the house. If parallel, the garage is
to be set back 1.5 metres from the house.
If the garage doors are facing the road they must be set back from the
house by a minimum of 3 metres. The none-garage door sides of the
garage are to have windows similar to the house.
A. DOORS: There will be individual parking bays and doors for each
vehicle. The doors must appear as vertical as possible by their
paneling. Use traditional and carriage style doors of wood or with
the appearance of wood. Use vertical windows or window lights in
the doors. If there is a third vehicle bay it is to be set back by at
least .5 metres.
B. DRIVEWAY: The driveway is to be paved with asphalt, concrete,
or an acceptable water permeable surface.
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7. CHIMNEYS:
If possible, a chimney should center on the roof ridge. Always anchor
an external chimney or flue stack to the ground. If the chimney is to be
tapered, make sure the upper portion is no narrower than 2 feet. The
taper should occur one-third of the way up the chimney so that the
upper portion (including the taper) is no more than two thirds of the
total height. Set the taper at a minimum angle of 40 degrees or to
match the roof slope.
The chimney cap is of particular importance. It is the last feature of
your house before it meets the sky. Do not make it so heavy that it
overwhelms the house. Do not make it too ornate. Have its proportion
and style suit the rest of the house.
8. LIGHTING:
Wilson’s Beach Estates is a natural and semi-rural environment. The
outdoor lighting must be subtle and not glaring. Fixtures must not
have bright light sources. Walks and driveway should have soft lights
shining downward from low levels. Only entry lights should have a
source directly visible from the road or driveway.